I forgive myself for past mistakes

Every verdict you pass on a younger self is delivered with evidence they didn't have. You know how it turned out. They were standing in the dark with about a third of the facts, tired, doing their best with the equipment available at the time.

That isn't an excuse, it is a procedural objection. No fair court admits information that arrived afterwards.

There is usually a specific one — a job taken, a person stayed with, three years given to something. It gets reheated at intervals, always with the ending attached.

Try describing it once using only what was known that morning. It doesn't clear anybody. It does tend to change the verdict.